Weatherproofing cover for roadbed

ABSTRACT

A lightweight, portable cover comprised of a plurality of panels that can be interconnected in sealing relationship and positioned over a prepared roadbed to temporarily weatherproof the latter. Outer edges of the cover are configured to overlie previously set pouring forms. These outer edges also define troughs which collect and carry off water from the overlying cover.

United States Patent Stewart Apr. 16, 1974 [5 WEATHERPROOFING COVER FOR 2,856,880 10/1958 Peck 52/582 x ROADBED 3,200,784 8/1965 Gowan 52/630 X 3,256,667 6/1966 Jungbluth et al. 52/630 X Inventor: James E. Stewart, 0 1st 3,604,324 9/1971 Middlestadt 404/83 Wichita, Kans, 67202 22 Filed; May 9, 1973 Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward L. Brown, Jr. [21] Appl. No.: 358,633

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 52/11, 52/169, 52/582,

404 /3 5 A lightweight, portable cover comprised of a plurality 51 Int. Cl E04b 1/343 0f Panels that can be immnnwed Sealing [58] Field of Search 52/11, 23, 169,582,584, tionship and PositiOned Over a Prepared madbed 52/630 677, 684; 404/35, 83 temporarily weatherproof the latter. Outer edges of the 'cover are configured to overlie previously set [56] References Cited pouring forms. These outer edges also define troughs UNITED STATES PATENTS which collect and carry off water from the overlying 633,984 10/1899 Blocher 52 11 x Coven 2,675,767 4/1954 Davie 52/582 X 12 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures WEATHERPROOFING COVER FOR ROADBED This invention relates to covers and like devices for temporarily protecting the entire width of a graded roadbed from rain, during the period of time after the roadbed has been prepared to grade and forms set but prior to pouring of the concrete. This invention can also be used on roadbeds prepared for blacktop paving.

Efficient procedure in construction of roadways contemplates complete grading, compacting, leveling and other preliminary preparation of the subgrade for a period prior to the surfacing operations. Particularly for concrete roadbeds, the subgrade work must be completed far enough in advance to allow continuous, uninterrupted pouring of the concrete. A more regular, and thus more'efficient and economical work load also is established by early completion of the preliminary preparations.

During the period of time between completion of the subgrade and form setting and surfacing of the road-.

way, inclement weather can cause settlement, erosion and other variances of the prepared roadbed. In such instance, the preliminary work must be completely repeated, thereby increasing construction costs two-fold. Even light rains in some spots can cause sufficient erosion of the relatively soft subgrade to necessitate regrading. The deleterious effect ,of the inclement weather is enhanced by the side forms which are conventionally anchored alongside the edges of the roadbed..These side forms tending to contain and channel any waterflow along the earthen bed or thereby, magnify the damage. The occasional destruction of the subgrade by bad weather, however, requires contractors to increase their bid price to cover the possibilities of such a loss. These covers can'also be used by a contractor to extend his pouring season into the winter months by re-covering the poured concrete at night and heating the enclosed space under the covers prior or after pouring.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a cover to temporarily protect a roadbed wherein the subgrade work has been completed, the cover being rugged and lightweight to facilitate manual handling, and being constructed in panels that are assembled in varying widths to cover the entire width of the roadbed and which may be disassembled and stacked into compact form for easy maneuvering, transport or storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover as above described wherein the longitudinal adjacent edges of the panels are quickly and easily intersecured and sealed to maintain the integrity of the cover in protecting the underlying roadbed.-

A further object is to provide such a cover wherein the outer edges of the outside panels overlie the side forms extending alongsidethe roadbed and are configured to define longitudinal troughs for collecting and carrying away from the roadbed any rain flowing off of the cover.

Yet another object is to provide a cover as described in the preceding objects which is comprised of a plurality of panels of preselected widths that can be assembled to present covers of differing widths corresponding to standardized widths of roadbeds, so that a given supply of such panels can be used in various situations.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are specifically set forth in or will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred forms of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one form of the invention as mounted over a prepared roadbed and accompanying side forms; I

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, transverse elevational view in cross-section of a typical sealed joint between the panels of the cover;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, longitudinal elevational view of one of the supporting legs;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a transverse elevational view of the cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a transverse elevational view of an arrangement of the invention similar to FIG. 5 but with the central panel removed;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, transverse cross-sectional view of a different manner of mounting the supporting leg to the cover; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, transverse cross-sectional view of another form of panel connector and joint sealer.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 5, there is illustrated a cover generally denoted by the numeral 10, that is positioned to extend transversely across the width of a prepared roadbed 12 and longitudinally extending concrete 'side forms 14. The forms 14 are anchored to the earth in a conventional manner,

not shown. The roadbed 12 is of standard widths, made up of selected materials or the native earth, and has been finally compacted and brought to subgrade preparatory for pouring of a concrete surface. The generally L-shaped pouring forms 14 not only define the outer longitudinal edges of the roadway but provide guide rails for the paving machine that will eventually pour the concrete.

Cover 10, in FIG. 5, includes a plurality of panels including a pair of side panels 16 and a centrally located panel 18. All of the panels are preferably'constructed of lightweight, high impact, formed plastic material such as fiberglass. In general configuration, the panels are of relatively thin, rectangular arrangement with several raised sections 20for strength which define transverse ridges 22 that channel water-flow on the upper surface of the cover toward the outer sides thereof.

Outer panels 16 have outer edges that are configured to overlie the associated side forms 14 and that are arranged in the form of V-shaped troughs 24 which extend lengthwise or longitudinally of the roadbed to collect all water flowing off of the top of the surface and to carry it lengthwise along the roadbed to a point where the water can be safely discharged without flowing onto the roadbed. Additionally, the outer edges of these panels 16 may be provided with a downwardly extending lip 26 that can either be directly anchored to the earthor covered with backfill 28 as shown in FIG. 5, to secure the cover 10 in the desired position and prevent any surface water from flowingunder the cover 10.

As best seen in FIG. 5, central panel 18 is preferably crowned in the center, inclined and sloping downwardly therefrom toward troughs 24, to assure transverse waterflow from the upper surface of the cover toward side troughs 24. The transverse length of central panel 18 is selected such that the sum of the transverse lengths of all three panels match a standard width of a roadbed. The transverse width of outer side panels 16 is selected such that upon deletion of central panel 18, as seen in FIG. 6, the two side panels 16 provide another standardized roadbed width. Thus, a relatively small supply or inventory of panels 16, 18 will provide sufficient versatility to present a cover of desired width for temporarily protecting almost all roadbed constructions. Since all road surfaces and their respective subgrades are either crowned or sloped to one side or the other, there is no runoff problem on the various arrangements of cover panels.

Depending from the underneath side of panels 16 and 18 are one or more foldable legs 30 that are adaptedto rest on the subgrade and provide support for the overall cover. Preferably, legs 30 are formed of wire in a U-shape with outwardly turned end sections 32 that are received in corresponding bores 34 in blocks 36 affixed to the underside of the associated panel 16 or 18. By squeezing the leg 30 together, the end sections 32 can be slipped in and out of bores 34 for easy manual assembly and disassembly. In their supporting position, legs 30 depend at generally right angles from the panels, and vertical grooves 38 in blocks 36 receive a portion of the leg to act as a detent in holding the leg in its vertical supporting position. Slight flexing of the leg removes it from grooves 38 to allow the leg to be swung to a storage position flush with the panel, as shown in full lines in FIG. 2.

As best shown in FIG. 2, means generally denoted by the numeral 40 are included to interconnect adjacently located longitudinal edges of the panels. The connecting means 40 effectively seals the butt joint 42 between the panel edges to prevent water leakage onto the underlying roadbed. The sealing means 40 includes an underlying plate 44 which overlaps the edges of the two panels to be connected, and a pair of releasable fasteners 46 that respectively extend through enlarged oblong openings 48 in the panels. The fasteners illustrated are of conventional design and include a pair of pins 50 and 52. Pin 50 is curved to interfere with the opening in plate 44 and thereby secure the plate to the adjoining panels. Pin 52 is vertically manually shiftable by a conventional tool, not shown, to allow the curved portion of pin 50 to be inserted and removed from the openings in plate 44 to allow quick and easy assembly and disassembly. The oblong openings 48 allow variation in the space between the butt joint 42 so an assembled length of panels can accommodate a curve in the roadbed or any other variations in roadbed width. Thus, close part tolerances are unnecessary and costs of manufacture of the cover are reduced.

The connecting means 40 also includes a resilient sealing element 54 located intermediate the bottom surfaces of the adjoining panels and plate 44. Fasteners 46 compress element 54 slightly so that the latter efi'ectively seals joint 42 against leakage.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified arrangement wherein the leg receiving blocks 36 are mounted onto plate 44 of the connecting means 40.'This arrangement affords a more economical construction in that the panels 16 and 18 are flat sections having no extra parts, such as blocks 36, mounted thereto.

FIG. 8 shows another form of interconnecting means 60 that may be used in place of means 40, which includes a member 62 formed of resilient material but of sufficient rigidity to effectively interconnect and support an adjacent panel. Member 62 has longitudinal grooves 64 on opposite sides thereof which relatively tightly receive the respective edges of the adjacent panels. Member 62 frictionally holds the panels in interen gagement, and acts as an effective seal preventing leakage through the joint defined between the adjacent panels.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the central panel 18 has its longitudinal edges joined to the inner longitudinal edges of the pair of panels 16. In FIG. 6, the inner edges of the outside pair of panels 16 are adjacent one another and are joined together. In either arrangement, the interconnecting means 40 or may be used to interconnect adjacent panel edges and seal the joint defined therebetween.

The longitudinal dimensions of panels 16 and 18 are chosen to assure a panel size effectuating easy manual handling and compact transporting of the cover. As illustrated in FIG. 1 by the dashed lines, additional panels are secured as necessary beside other panels to build up cover 10 to the necessary longitudinal dimensions covering the entire length of the roadbed which has been prepared for surfacing. Interconnecting means 40 or 60 are utilized to connect the transverse edges of the adjoining panels.

Upon disassembly of the cover, the mating configuration of the panels allows compact stacking thereof into an arrangement permitting convenient storage and transportation thereof between jobsites. The panels can be manually assembled in a quick and easy manner upon approach of inclement weather.

Various modifications and alterations to the specific embodiments of the invention described in detail in the foregoing specification will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this detailed description should be considered exemplary in nature and not as limiting to the scope and spirit of the invention defined in the appendaged claims.

Having described the invention with sufficient clarity that those skilled in the art may make and use it, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A cover for weatherproofing a roadbed which has been prepared for surfacing and has side forms emplaced lengthwise alongside the roadbed, said cover comprising:

a plurality of rigid panels extending longitudinally along the roadbed and disposed with longitudinal edges adjacent one another to define longitudinal joints between adjacently located panels, a pair of said panels having outer longitudinal edges configured to overlie said side forms, said pair of panels being disposed so water flows transversely toward at least one of said outer longitudinal edges;

legs depending from said panels and adapted to rest on the roadbed to support said panels in overlying relationship spaced above the roadbed; and

means for releasably interconnecting said adjacent longitudinal edges of the panels and for sealing said joints against leakage to present a continuous surface overlying the roadbed and said side forms to protect the roadbed from rain, said means being releasable and said panels being of size and configuration facilitating manual disassembly and storage of said panels in compact arrangement permitting convenienttransportation of the cover.

2. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pair of panels have inner longitudinal edges lying above the roadbed, there being a central panel disposed intermediate said pair of panels with opposite longitudinal edges located adjacent said inner edges, said means being disposed to releasably connect each of said inner edges with said adjacent edge of the central panel and to seal said joints therebetween.

3. A cover as set forth in claim 2, wherein said central panel is inclined transversely in opposite directions from the center of said central panel whereby water thereon flows transversely toward said outer edges of said pair of panels.

4. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said outer edges are configured to define longitudinally extending troughs for collecting and carrying water flowing from said surface to said outer edges.

5. A cover as set forth in claim 4, wherein said outer edges include lips located transversely outwardly from said troughs and adapted to be anchored to the earth to secure the cover in position and prevent surface water from flowing thereunder.

6. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said panels have raised sections extending generally transversely to assist in collecting and directing water on said surface toward said outer edges.

7. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes: a flat, rigid plate underlying each of said joints and extending under said adjacently located panels;

fasteners extending through each of said panels and 6 said plate for intcrsccuring said plate and said panels; and a resilient sealing element disposed between said panels and said plate for sealing said joint.

8. A cover as set forth in claim 7, wherein said legs are secured to said plate.

9. A cover as set forth in claim 7, wherein said fasteners extend through laterally, oversized openings in said panels to allow adjustable positioning of the pair of panels relative to each other to compensate for curves in the roadbed and minor variations in the transverse width of the roadbed.

10. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes a single resilient member for each of said joints frictionally engaging said respective adjacently located panels defining each joint, said member being sufficiently rigid to intersecure said adjacently located panels and disposed in overlapping relationship thereto to seal said joint therebetween.

11. A cover as set forth in claim 10, wherein said member has longitudinal grooves on opposite sides thereof relatively tightly receiving said adjacent edges of the panels in butting relation to intersecure said panels while sealing said joint therebetween.

12. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said legs are operably rotatably secured to said panels whereby upon disassembly of the cover said legs may be rotated to a position extending generally parallel to said panels to facilitate said stacking thereof, said legs extending generally at right angles from said panels when supporting the latter above the roadbed. 

1. A cover for weatherproofing a roadbed which has been prepared for surfacing and has side forms emplaced lengthwise alongside the roadbed, said cover comprising: a plurality of rigid panels extending longitudinally along the roadbed and disposed with longitudinal edges adjacent one another to define longitudinal joints between adjacently located panels, a pair of said panels having outer longitudinal edges configured to overlie said side forms, said pair of panels being disposed so water flows transversely toward at least one of said outer longitudinal edges; legs depending from said panels and adapted to rest on the roadbed to support said panels in overlying relationship spaced above the roadbed; and means for releasably interconnecting said adjacent longitudinal edges of the panels and for sealing said joints against leakage to present a continuous surface overlying the roadbed and said side forms to protect the roadbed from rain, said means being releasable and said panels being of size and configuration facilitating manual disassembly and storage of said panels in compact arrangement permitting convenient transportation of the cover.
 2. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pair of panels have inner longitudinal edges lying above the roadbed, there being a central panel disposed intermediate said pair of panels with opposite longitudinal edges located adjacent said inner edges, said means being disposed to releasably connect each of said inner edges with said adjacent edge of the central panel and to seal said joints therebetween.
 3. A cover as set forth in claim 2, wherein said central panel is inclined transversely in opposite directions from the center of said central panel whereby water thereon flows transversely toward said outer edges of said pair of panels.
 4. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said outer edges are configured to define longitudinally extending troughs for collecting and carrying water flowing from said surface to said outer edges.
 5. A cover as set forth in claim 4, wherein said outer edges include lips located transversely outwardly from said troughs and adapted to be anchored to the earth to secure the cover in position and prevent surface water from flowing thereunder.
 6. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said panels have raised sections extending generally transversely to assist in collecting and directing water on said surface toward said outer edges.
 7. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes: a flat, rigid plate underlying each of said joints and extending under said adjacently located panels; fasteners extending through each of said panels and said plate for intersecuring said plate and said panels; and a resilient sealing element disposed between said panelS and said plate for sealing said joint.
 8. A cover as set forth in claim 7, wherein said legs are secured to said plate.
 9. A cover as set forth in claim 7, wherein said fasteners extend through laterally, oversized openings in said panels to allow adjustable positioning of the pair of panels relative to each other to compensate for curves in the roadbed and minor variations in the transverse width of the roadbed.
 10. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes a single resilient member for each of said joints frictionally engaging said respective adjacently located panels defining each joint, said member being sufficiently rigid to intersecure said adjacently located panels and disposed in overlapping relationship thereto to seal said joint therebetween.
 11. A cover as set forth in claim 10, wherein said member has longitudinal grooves on opposite sides thereof relatively tightly receiving said adjacent edges of the panels in butting relation to intersecure said panels while sealing said joint therebetween.
 12. A cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein said legs are operably rotatably secured to said panels whereby upon disassembly of the cover said legs may be rotated to a position extending generally parallel to said panels to facilitate said stacking thereof, said legs extending generally at right angles from said panels when supporting the latter above the roadbed. 